Not so long ago the word ‘drone’ was mainly spoken in the closed circle of professionals and technologically minded individuals. Relatively recently, however, it has become known to general public who have learnt about these unmanned aerial vehicles from the media reports covering their controversial use for military purposes. Unfortunately, the vast coverage have largely focused on the ethical implications of using the clever machines in war zones, instead of informing the audience about the wider applicability of the new gadgets.
As is often the case with new technologies, the decreasing production costs have made drones available for the use in a variety of industries such as commercial surveillance, exploration of natural resources, scientific research and others. Amazon has already promised drone deliverable parcels by 2015, and moviemakers praise the possibilities allowed by shots taken from an UAV. But probably the most important yet arguably the least publicly promoted role of a drone is to be played in the field of humanitarian activities such as disaster relief, search and rescue, border patrol, etc. In fact, due to their nimble frame and low maintenance costs drones could be used to change the way people deal with massive issues.
Needless to say, whilst the popularity of new technologies tend to find quick way to the profit-oriented private enterprises, adapting them in the public sectors burdened by bureaucracy can be a rather slow and challenging process. Moreover, according to Patrick Meiers, who is an internationally recognized thought leader on the application of new technologies for crisis early warning, there is a general lack of awareness within the humanitarian community about the kinds of UAVs being used in humanitarian settings and the different roles they can play.
For instance, one of the most frequently recurring disasters – wildfires - do not only leave many without homes, but also cost governments billions of dollars each year. Due to winds and other factors, the fire spreads in an unpredictable pattern and presents a great challenge for fire-fighters in need of acting adequately and timely. To this day these dedicated public servants have to use their instincts and experience whilst relying on such primitive tools as photos taken from helicopters or satellites. In many cases the long preparation time means that the information is already outdated by the time it reaches the firefighters. , The use of drones under such circumstances allow a quick and easy access to aerial view of the fire spreading. Furthermore, a drone is capable of flying in lower altitudes and can be equipped with infrared cameras that allow thermal vision even during the day. Finally, the data may be evaluated and used in almost real-time, thus enabling the crew to make more informed and effective decisions.
The only issue that may raise concern in the above-described and other relief missions is the limited range and battery life of a drone. P. Meiers explains the energy issue: “Whether UAVs are “too limited” depends on what their intended use is. Small, fixed-wing UAVs have a flight time of about an hour while small rotary-wing UAVs typically remain airborne for half-an-hour (on a single battery). Naturally, more expensive UAVs will have longer flight-times. For targeted damage assessments, current ranges are easily manageable with several batteries. With one team and a few batteries, IOM covered 45 square kilometres in 6 days of flying. As more groups use UAVs in humanitarian settings, the opportunities to collaborate on flight plans and data sharing will necessarily expand both range and coverage.”
Less frequent, yet often more fatal events such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters have to be acted upon immediately. Whilst governments and NGOs do their best organizing rescue parties and support missions, the real damage is hard to define for days and even weeks afterwards. A usual procedure involves, when available, helicopters, soldiers and volunteers looking for survivors and mapping out the area. Yet again, making plans and gathering forces eats up a large portion of the vital time that can be significantly cut thanks to the capabilities offered by new technologies. Jacob Petersen from Danoffice, a Danish company providing IT and IS solutions, gives an example of an UAV employed after the Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines in 2013: “The visual information about a place or a situation is key for NGOs but also for many United Nations agencies responsible for refugees and migrants.“ The drone’s first mission was to identify from air the best place where to implement the base camp for the rescue teams. For international rescue teams who joined the archipelago, one of the major challenges was access to the affected areas and the organization of priorities. In this case the aerial live stream video identified damage and gave Danoffice IT valuable information the easiest way to reach these areas. As a result, the relief teams could identify the most affected zones and allocate their resources more efficiently. Eventually, the drone was involved in the search for the missing bodies amongst debris and in the Bay of Tacloban. The Huginn X1 civil drone allowed to not only form a structural assessment of the area, but also provided vital information needed to scout the key locations and identify best possible routes of approach and assistance.
Meanwhile, remote villages in third world countries have trucks with aid coming and going all the time, but poor logistics still leave many ill and starving. Drone advocates believe that UAVs have a role in this scenario, too. After all, bad roads or no roads mean little, when aid can be brought in by air. The way it is delivered now – a large amount every few months - causes a lot of drugs to expire without ever being actually used. Employing a drone as opposed to cars or trucks means that packages can be sent out much more often, and the medicine can be prescribed upon situation.
With all the benefits that UAVs are able to provide, why is that they are still not such a common humanitarian tool? In the beginning we have mentioned the much dreaded word ‘bureaucracy’. Well, as stated earlier, not unlike any technology that rises fast, drones still have to receive their share of laws and policies. An FAA spokesperson has said, that the agency has been working for several months to implement the provisions of Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and move forward with UAS integration before proposing the small UAS rule. Companies must apply for airworthiness and operational exemptions. Search and rescue missions are usually conducted by federal, state or local government entities. Government entities can operate a UAS under a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) from the FAA. “We can, and have, issued COAs for natural disasters or search and rescue missions in a matter of hours, “told the spokesperson, recalling the wildfires in the mountainous areas of California. An NGO or a private company, he added, may be able to perform humanitarian missions under a public entity’s COA that provides for such missions and the private entity contracts to do the work. A private entity could also apply for a section 333 exemption described above and thus be able to operate independently of a government agency if the petition is granted.
Although the commercial use of drones is likely to receive definite laws sooner due to huge lobbying from media, oil and agriculture industries, humanitarian application is elevated by tech savvy, socially conscious drone ambassadors, activists in NGOs and governmental agencies. One such campaign is the Drone Social Innovation Award presented by the Drone Users Group Network. The community raises awareness by asking participants to submit models of UAVs that are cheap and can potentially have a positive impact on communities. In conclusion, sooner rather than later there will be drones buzzing back and forth above wildfires, disaster zones and otherwise unreachable areas, helping civil services and saving human lives.
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